Parsons, formerly with the German national team, worked with Thornton to develop into a more consistent scorer heading into her 10th year in the WNBA. Thornton is playing a career-high 30 minutes per game and has raised her field-goal percentage from 37.

Although Clark has missed half of Indiana’s 20 games during the 2025 WNBA season, the former Iowa Hawkeyes star still received the most fan votes for the All-Star Game, earning her captain honors and the opportunity to draft her team. One of her picks was Valkyries star Thornton, who had nothing but praise for Clark.

Caitlin Clark is expected to make her much-anticipated return Wednesday afternoon as the Indiana Fever welcome the Golden State Valkyries to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the first time.

Golden State went on a run to end the first half and held a 41-32 advantage at halftime.